The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched its Youth in Business programme in Türkiye, building on its success in 12 other countries. The initiative aims to mobilise up to €250 million in financing to support young entrepreneurs under 35.
Backed by the Turkish government and the European Union (EU), the programme offers financial support, expertise, and business development services to address key challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, such as limited access to funding, experience, and market information.
According to the Bank, Türkiye faces persistently high youth unemployment, and the EBRD sees fostering youth-led businesses as a catalyst for economic growth. The programme will channel financing, technical assistance, and risk-sharing tools through local partner banks, which will then lend to youth-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The Youth in Business programme is currently active in Central Asia, Egypt, Morocco and the Western Balkans, and is designed to make financing more accessible for businesses.
A major focus of the initiative is to aid economic recovery in regions hit by the February 2023 earthquakes, with 70% of the programme's funding set to support businesses in those areas.
At the launch event in Istanbul, Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director for Financial Institutions, highlighted the programme’s rapid growth since its 2021 debut in Egypt, expanding to a €1 billion initiative across 12 countries.
“Türkiye’s greatest asset is its youth,” he said. “We believe this programme will thrive among the country’s dynamic and resilient young entrepreneurs.”
The launch also marked the commitment of initial Turkish banking partners, with Akbank, Şekerbank, and TEB joining the programme.
Pakistan is pushing for urgent global action and greater climate funding as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends COP31 in Türkiye, warning th...
Armenia has lost its voting rights and the ability to nominate officials for certain posts within the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organi...
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing dis...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Calls for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to resign are growing amid national security concerns, raising questions about the future of the AI chip giant. With billions in quarterly revenue, no announced successor and investors already reacting to the controversy, what happens if its co-founder steps down?
Azerbaijan is seeking international investment to develop more than four gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power in the Caspian Sea, as part of plans to expand renewable energy and establish electricity export routes to Türkiye and Europe.
The FBI is investigating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a Chinese businesswoman suspected of passing information to Beijing, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, 9 November.
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operation, following allegations that a businesswoman with whom he had a relationship passed information to Beijing.
Australian design platform Canva has announced a major restructuring affecting 22 per cent of its workforce, with 1,271 employees facing job cuts, relocations or changes to their roles as the company grapples with slowing growth and rising AI costs.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment